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80Contrary to the way he's been perceived, Shadow has never been anything other than passionate about hip hop, and "The Outsider" is his love letter to the genre, revelling in all its myriad excesses.
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80As brave as it is diverse. [Oct 2006, p.104]
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The Outsider screams to be downloaded in sections by fans of specific genres.
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80This is a fascinating record that will initially bewilder, but rewards repeated listens.
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70Aside from track sequencing issues... and dodgy indie geezers, 'The Outsider' is a great album and well worth the wait.
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The Outsider is a carefully crafted, artistically elusive mess -- far more scattershot than even his first UNKLE record (Psyence Fiction), but much more interesting for its excellent productions.
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70As ever, The Outsider's production is immaculate. But by frontloading the album with forbidding hip hop, [Shadow] knows he's driving away the floating voter. [Sep 2006, p.106]
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As a full-length Shadow album, The Outsider buckles from its forced diversity. [24 Aug 2006, p.94]
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The Outsider shouldn't be framed as the second coming of a masterpiece but as a stepping-stone.
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The cadre of eclectic guest appearances... make it seem like this record would play more like a mix tape, but Shadow pulls it off, and for the most part, each of the guest artists deliver the goods.
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70I suspect that it will be one of those albums that people might dismiss today but will go back to in six months or six years, in the process rediscovering a treasure trove of interesting music.
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Despite the presence of some must-hear rap tracks, it's hard to justify the purchase if you are paying for only about half an album.
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A jarring journey. [22 Sep 2006, p.94]
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Despite its lapses and awkward moments, The Outsider feels like the turntablist's attempt to loosen up and venture away from a recognizable aural framework. [#15]
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60Tough to take in one sitting, The Outsider nevertheless boasts enough fine 'deep cuts' to be a keeper. [Sep 2006, p.98]
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60Where Shadow ultimately sutmbles is on the britpop tip. [Oct 2006, p.116]
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60Slinging new styles and innovating them are separate matters. [Oct 2006, p.100]
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60While the hyphy tracks might scare some people off, they are the record's undoubted highlights.
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While it's a bit hit and miss, the sheer bullishness of this album is impressive.
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The Outsider is a mix tape. The artful flow that defined Endtroducing and The Private Press has been eschewed in favor of individual tracks, and the album succeeds or fails along these lines.
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60More often than not, even Shadow's most extreme sonic detours hit home.
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58This album should alienate virtually everyone who's ever been a Shadow fan.
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Here, ultimately, the DJ remains resolutely in the background. ANd that was never the point. [16 Sep 2006, p.35]
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His work here seems scattered and gimmicky. [Oct 2006, p.75]
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50A draining listen due to its scatterbrained ideas and patchy sequencing. [#73, p.106]
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50Occasionally, the chemistry is thrilling... Mostly, though, Shadow picks collaborators allergic to subtlety. [Oct 2006, p.143]
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It's hard to imagine anyone going for the whole album, because it doesn't hold together. [18 Sep 2006]
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40Distraught longtime fans can take comfort in the gothic ire of the Banner-fronted, Hurricane Katrina–lamenting "Seein' Thangs" and the ambling blues-hop storytelling of Phonte Coleman on "Backstage Girl," but little else can be salvaged from the wreckage of Shadow's abruptly imploding talent.
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40Problem is, the odd hodge-podge of tracks have no apparent connection to each other and certainly don't make for a coherent statement or even a decent mixtape.
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Shadow's head scratching choice of singers detract from the potency of his fluid beats.
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Great ideas abound--it's just that they stumble on their face.
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User score distribution:
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Positive: 15 out of 33
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Mixed: 0 out of 33
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Negative: 18 out of 33
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